KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ART AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

FACULTY OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT
DEPARTMENT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

REPORT ON VISITING A CONSTRUCTION SITE

NAME: ABUBAKAR ABDUL-RAUF

INDEX NUMBER: 2749120

CLASS: CTM 1A
 CONSTRUCTON SITE VISIT

Introduction

We were given an assignment to visit a construction site and write a report. The following were the objectives
of the site visit.

 Objectives
1. To have a preview on construction drawings.
2. To gain knowledge on how construction drawings are translated into real structures.
3. To gain knowledge on building materials.
 The Construction Site

The construction we were asked to visit is a three storey structure which has auditoriums and lecture halls. We
went there once and was taken through the construction drawings and how they are implemented on the ground
by the site engineer.

 Name of project: Construction of Proposed Postgraduate Block for the College of Engineering,
KNUST
 Type of Building: A Three Storey Structure (Auditoriums and lecture halls)
 Location: New Block, Business School, KNUST
 Client: College of Engineering, KNUST
 Funding: Funded by World Bank
 Consultants: Development Office, KNUST
 Project Manager: Mr. Kofi Appieh-Kubi
 Site Engineer: Mr. Emmanuel Asante
 Construction Company: ASIB Limited
 Duration of project: A twelve (12) month Project
Date of Start: 02 February, 2021
Date of Completion: February, 2022
Date of Visit: 07 June, 2021
 Observations and Question

This being our first site visit, to learn something about construction drawings and their implementation on the
ground. I observed a lot of things and we asked the site engineer some questions. The drawings that we
concentrated on the most was the ground floor plan, first floor plan and foundation layout plan. The things I
observed on the drawings and on the ground when we were taken out to the site are as follows.
  The Gantt’s Chart of the Project

We were shown the Gantt’s Chart of the project which included how the activities of the construction process
will be systematically executed. Each activity had its starting date and the date it is expected to end on the chart.

 Gridlines and Dimensions

We were told that gridlines and dimensions between gridlines indicate where building or structural elements
are placed based from the reference point on the plan. We were informed that gridlines and dimensions on plans
helps in the construction of structural elements such as columns, beams and walls. The centerlines of these
elements are indicated so that it can be accurately positioned on site. We were also told that it is essential to
name the gridlines as it helps architects, engineer and builders to identify the positions of its intersections. We
observed that the gridlines were aligned to the center of the walls and most columns were placed at their
intersections. The engineer said not always is the intersections of the gridlines at the exact center of the
columns, as it was in the case of the drawings, some parts of the structure were circular and the gridlines did not
intersect at the exact center of the columns.

 Machinery

These are the mechanical devices used in construction. The machinery I observed on the site was;

 The Crane; this is used to transport concrete and other materials to upper floors.
 The Poker Vibrator; it is used to vigorously vibrate concrete when it is being cast to remove air
bubbles and to avoid segregation.
 The Concrete Mixer; it is used to mix concrete and mortar.
 The Mechanical vibrator used for manufacturing blocks.
 Trucks; these were used to transport materials in and out of the site.
 Blocks

Block are masonry units used for the building of walls. There are different types of blocks used in the
building of structures, this made us ask the engineer for type of block being used. We were told that they are
using 150mm thick solid sandcrete blocks, manufactured using the mechanical vibrator using a ratio of 1:2.

 Concrete

Concrete is a mixture of cement, fine aggregates, coarse aggregates and water to specific ratios. At the site I
observed that the concrete was the most used material in the construction. It was manufactured use the concrete
mixer on the site. We then asked for ratio used and was answered that the ratio is 1:2:4.
  Substructure

The substructure is the part of building which is below the ground, it includes the following;

 The Foundation
 The footing wall
 The Down beam
 The Oversite concrete

Although the building was already constructed up to the first floor, we asked that which type of foundation
was used for structure and we were told that they combined both stepped foundation and reinforced pad
foundation for its construction. We also observed that some of the spaces within the building was large, so we
asked that would it not be possible for the oversite concrete to cave in. We were answered that at spaces were
the area is large, there are sleeper walls under the concrete slap to support it.

 Columns and Beams

Columns are vertical structural members intended to transfer a compressive load from roof slabs, beams and
floors slabs to the foundation. We observed that there was different shapes and sizes of columns, it had square,
circular and rectangular shaped columns. We asked for the reason why it was so and was answered by the
engineer that, they are in different sizes and shapes mainly for structural and aesthetic purposes. Larger columns
carry more loads than smaller columns. Since concrete is good in compression but week in tension, the concrete
was reinforced with steel bars to improve its tensile strength.

Beams are horizontal structural elements spanning on openings or column, carrying and distributing loads to
columns. The beams were also of different sizes and we were told that we have main beams and supporting
beams where the main beams span from column to column and the supporting beams helps to divide and
distribute the loads on the main beams. The beams were reinforced with steel bars.

 First Floor Slap

The construction of the first floor was still in process when we visited the site, they had not cast the concrete
yet. Reinforced steel bars were being position and tied by the special engineers [Steel benders], the frameworks
of floor slap was made with wood and supported with metal props.

Conclusion

My personal experience of this site visit is very good. We learned a lot of things about construction drawings
and how they are made are into real structures. We gained knowledge about how different parts of a building
and they are constructed and we now have a different view about construction drawings, not just a like lay man
but like a Construction Manager.